Seann Walsh’s Strictly exit watched by more than nine million viewers

More than nine million people tuned in to watch Seann Walsh and Katya Jones’s departure from Strictly Come Dancing.

The pair had faced scrutiny after they were pictured kissing on a night out while both were in relationships, and they returned to face the dancefloor despite some fans calling for their departure.

Many fans thought they would be voted out of the competition in the immediate aftermath of the controversy, but Walsh and Jones survived for another three weeks.

But they lost their place in Strictly in Sunday night’s Halloween results show, which drew an average of 9.1 million viewers and a peak of 9.9 million, according to overnight ratings.

The broadcast had a 38.7% audience share, the BBC said.

This marked a slight drop in viewers from Saturday’s programme, which averaged 9.8 million and peaked at 10.8 million, but the ratings regularly decrease to just above nine million for the Sunday show.

Strictly has enjoyed a ratings boost since Walsh and Jones’s kiss drama.

The first live programme that aired after pictures of them locking lips were printed scored an average of 10.6 million viewers in the overnight ratings, the highest of the series so far.

Since then, the BBC One dancing show has barely slipped below 10 million average viewers for the main Saturday broadcast.

Walsh, 32, and Jones, 29, both apologised following their controversial kiss, although it cost Walsh his relationship with girlfriend Rebecca Humphries.

Jones is married to fellow Strictly professional Neil Jones, and they are still together.

Walsh and Jones, who had performed a low-scoring Viennese waltz for Halloween Week, became the fifth couple to leave Strictly after facing retired cricketer Graeme Swann and Oti Mabuse in the dance-off.

The judges voted unanimously to save Swann and Mabuse.

Walsh said: “When you watch it and hear people at the end say this has been the best experience in my life … you don’t really believe, but this has been without a doubt the best experience of my life.

“Probably bar the last few weeks.

“But generally speaking, from the beginning it really was. I can’t believe it, it’s been amazing.”

The remaining 10 couples will take to the dancefloor next week when Strictly Come Dancing returns on Saturday at 7.05pm.